Arsenal end controversial sponsorship deal with Rwanda | OneFootball

Arsenal, the leader of the English Championship, will stop using the “Visit Rwanda” logo at the end of the current season, the African country announced this Wednesday (19).

For the past eight seasons, the players of the London club have worn the message on the sleeve of their uniform to promote tourism in Rwanda, in the heart of the African continent. Arsenal fans protested in April against this deal, which has become increasingly controversial due to the situation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that borders Rwanda and is rich in minerals.

The DR Congo accuses Rwanda of arming and supporting the M23 militia, which has taken control of large areas of the country's territory since it took up arms in 2021. Thousands of people have died in this conflict, which has also caused a humanitarian crisis, despite the ceasefire signed by the Congolese government and the M23 and the peace framework implemented in recent months.

“Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board have mutually agreed to end their partnership at the end of this season, bringing to a close an eight-season collaboration,” announced this Rwandan government body in a statement. The country still maintains similar agreements with other European football giants, such as Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atlético de Madrid.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.